Secret Keeper
by Quillpens
Summary: Thor has always cared for Loki as more than a brother. When it comes time for Loki's punishment after the war, will Thor be able to save his "little brother" from the pain?
1. Punishment

*Authors note* I was watching Balto 2 last night and in the movie they called a fox a Cunning Trickster. I started laughing because immediately my brain said "Haha Loki is a fox!". Okay, I'm done. On to the story!

Disclaimer : I own nothing but this story.

Thor held Loki's shoulder and gripped it tightly, doing his best to not think of the punishment his brother was about to recieve for his crimes. He then watched in silence as Loki was taken forcibly from his grasp and led by two armed guards into the Throne Room to see the Allfather. Thor felt a shiver go down his spine as another guard told him that Odin wanted him to see the punishment of his brother firsthand. Thor gripped Mjölnir tight and nodded stiffly to the guard before following the man into the room and up to where Loki was down on his knees in front of his parents. The sight made Thor's heart cry out and he had to take a deep breath before being able to look his Father at all.

Odin sighed sadly as he looked at both of his sons before him. He nodded proudly at Thor then glared down at Loki. He waved his hand lightly and a guard rushed to his side. "Remove the mask and chains."

The guard looked up at Odin in shock for a moment, but did as he was told as quickly as possible. Once it was off, Thor heard Loki gasp under his breath as the mask was taken off first. When it came time to remove the shackles however, Thor saw Loki grimace in pain and grit his teeth. It didn't take Thor long to figure out why. As the metal was removed, Loki bent forward a little more so that his arms were straight out and that's when Thor saw the reason for his brothers pain. Loki's hands were broken and bleeding, his pinky on his left hand and his thumb on his right were almost completely severed. Thor felt his stomach drop and he resisted the urge to get sick. Wondering why this had happened, he found he already knew the answer. _"He can't do magic if he can't move his hands."_

Another shiver went down Thor's spine and he looked away sadly. When the ordeal was over, both Thor and Loki looked up at Odin, awaiting his next command. They watched as Odin rose from his throne and gently stepped down so that he was in front of Loki. Thor stared and waited, holding his breath. Odin grabbed Loki by his hair and yanked it backwards so that Loki had no choice but to look Odin in the eyes. When Odin spoke, it was quiet and laced with pure anger "Loki, you have betrayed us all. For this, you shall be punished most severely. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Loki stared up at his adoptive Father and grimaced, he then looked at the only mother he had ever known and saw that she was crying. He hoped that she wasn't wasting her tears on him. He knew he didn't deserve it. He hung his head after that for a moment then looked up into Odin's eyes again. Loki shook his head no.

Thor watched all of this, his heart breaking more and more with every second. When Loki's eyes didn't meet his, Thor's heart broke completely. "Loki? I am here, my Brother. Look at me." Thor spoke softly, not daring to look at his parents. Thor watched as Loki turned his head ever so slightly and looked into Thor's eyes. What Thor saw there made him want to cry. The eyes that were usually bright and mischevious, were now dull and lifeless. No longer did Thor see hatred and loathing directed at him, but fear. Pure, unadulterated fear. Thor's broken heart sank. His brother, the God of trickery, was afraid.

Thor walked over to Loki and put his hand on his brothers face. He felt Loki jump slightly under his hand and was surprised when Loki, be it ever so slightly, calmed and leaned into Thor's touch. Thor couldn't stop himself now and felt tears begin to fall. Thor, still staring down into Loki's fear filled eyes, addressed his Father with the authorative voice that he could muster. "Father, what is to be his punishment?"

Odin sighed under his breath and stared at the scene before him. Just moments ago, he couldn't even think of a punishment that would be worthy of the crime committed other than a slow, excrutiating death. Now that he had witnessed what Thor had done, he knew exactly what needed to be done to show Loki that he had been wrong in every way of his original thinking. Odin drew himself up and walked over to Thor then put a hand on his shoulder. "Bring him. I will show you."

Thor looked at his Father, then to Loki. Odin began walking toward the exit and down the hall. Thor, mindful of Loki's new injury, helped the man up and pretty much dragged Loki to where Odin was headed. A few minutes later, Odin pushed Loki down onto Loki's old bed and had two gaurds chain him there, then hold him down. Thor saw Loki's bottom lip tremble slightly, as if he knew what was about to happen. Odin walked around Loki's room and picked up every single scrap of paper and book on magic that he could find and put it all in a pile in front of Loki's bed. Loki took a deep breath and watched the man he had once called father, ordered a guard to burn it all. Within moments, a fire was started and Thor watched sadly as all of Loki's prized possesions were reduced to nothing but ashes.

Loki hadn't flinched though and it was obvious that Odin had noticed, for when he spoke again, the anger in his voice was apparant. "Guards, hold him down. Now is the time for his real punishment."

Thor watched in awe as the fear grew in his brothers eyes and the guards held him down tight. Suddenly, a Healer entered the room, carrying a small box. Loki had seen this and finally uttered a word under his breath. "No."

Loki had begun to resist against the chains and guards and Thor watched confused as his brother resisted and the Healer opened the box, pulling out a needle and a spool of black thread. Loki's lips trembled and finally began screaming as the Healer moved over to him and sat on the bed, the look in her eyes, cold and unwavering. "No! No! Please Father forgive me! Don't do this! Please!" Loki begged.

Thor looked from Loki to Odin and watched as his father looked down sadly. "It is for the best, Loki. Your magic will not die as long as you can still speak it. You and I both know this."

Thor watched in horror as the guards held Loki down tighter and the Healer threaded the needle before putting it to the right side of Loki's lips. As the needle pierced his skin, Loki screamed again, only this time, it wasn't for his father's forgiveness. "Thor! Brother! Please! I beg of you! Make them stop! Help me!"

Thor couldn't bear it any longer, he pushed the Healer aside and wiped away his brothers tears. He then looked at his father and pleaded.

"Father, please stop this. I will take his punishment if need be." Odin looked at his son in anger and shook his head. "No, if you want to protect him from others so badly, then so be it. Thor, you will do the sewing."

Thor looked from his father to Loki, panic stricken and horrified. He couldn't do this. Not to his brother, not to the person who held his heart, the one person he had truly loved above all else. Odin's voice ripped Thor from his thoughts. "Do it, Thor. Now."

Thor was never one to disobey an order. Everyone in the room knew that, including Loki. Thor took the needle and thread and stared down at Loki. His bound brother had stopped crying now and even stopped resisting at all. Thor kept his brothers eyes locked on his while the sewing began again. Both Loki and Thor cried silently through the whole ordeal. When it was over, the healer came back over and inspected the damage. Every line of thread was perfect and straight. She was surprised with the way Thor had been shaking the entire time that he had managed this well. She quickly cleaned the blood off of Loki's face, returned the instruments to her box and made her way out the room without so much as a second glance.

There was a tense silence as Thor wiped away his bothers tears and then his own. After the display of care was shown, Odin spoke again. "Loki, you shall remain in this state until your hands have healed completely on their own. Hopefully, by then, your magic will have dissapated. If not, I will rebreak your bones myself. You are free to walk about the castle and stables as you wish. Your meals will be given to you through your veins by a healer at seven, noon and seven again everyday. Should you miss a meal, you will wait for the next one. Is that understood?"

Loki nodded slowly and watched as Odin turned on his heel and headed towards the door. Before exiting, he turned back to his sons and stared at them. "Thor, I expect to see you at dinner." he spoke coldly before slamming the door behind him.

As soon as the boys coud no longer hear Odin's footsteps, Thor pulled Loki to him and gently kissed him all over his face as Loki began to cry again. "My brother, my love, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted any of this to happen."

Loki shook his head and nuzzled into Thor's embrace. Thor let go of his brother and, after pulling off his armour, laid down on the bed then pulled Loki to him. Loki curled up against Thor and summoned a quill and piece of paper. Thor watched in amazement as the quill began writing down Loki's thoughts. When it was finished, Thor grabbed the piece of paper out of the air and read the words to himself.

"_I forgive you, Thor. You did your best to save me before any of this ever began and for that, I am thankful. I am sorry to have caused you so much pain and torture. I saw the error of my ways long before the War finished, but there was nothing I could do to stop it, it was already too late. Also, thank you for being the one to sew. If Father hadn't have made you do it, I am sure that the Healer would have messed up on purpose, just so she could rip them out and start all over again. Thank you for saving me once again. I know I am not your true brother and that you should have killed me long ago, but I am glad that you are here with me now. I love you. By the way, tell your father that I can still do magic and I will kill you in your sleep."_

As Thor finished reading, he chuckled softly at Loki and pulled him closer. "My Loki, I will never tell father and, for saving you, you are indeed welcome. Now, I believe it is time to rest. Don't you?"

Loki nodded then scribbled something on the page. Turning it over, Thor read, "What about Jane?"

Thor sighed and looked away. "I had to let her go, Loki. She did not agree with me about you and we just were not alike as I had thought. Besides, she is a mortal. Never will she be able to set foot in this world."

Loki nodded and shut his eyes for a moment, a feeling of complete exhaustion hitting him all at once. Thor seemed to notice and gently kissed Loki's sewn mouth. "There is only one person for me and as soon as I am king, he will have his magic and children back. He will become a king as well and we will rule Asgard, together. As it always should have been."

Loki began to cry again and Thor gently wiped the tears away. "Are you happy, my Trickster?" Thor asked in a soft, playful and loving voice. Loki nodded and nuzzled his head into Thor's broad chest. Thor held him tight and smiled. "Wonderful, my love. I never want to see you unhappy again. You are mine, forever and I will do anything to keep you happy. Starting with keeping your secrets. Now rest, Loki. I shall wake you later this evening so that you may have your meal."

Thor's smile was the last thing Loki saw before closing his eyes and falling into the dark abyss of sleep.

*Authors Note* Should I keep this as a one shot or should I continue? Review and let me know!


	2. Sickness

*Authors Note* I'm starting this chapter about four months after the initial punishment so Loki has had a little bit of time to heal from his external injuries.

Loki slowly closed the door to his chambers and held the wall as tight as he could as he made his way down the Hall. He bit his lip and tried hard not to tear up as another sharp pain ripped through his chest. Reaching the end of the hall, he felt tears slipping down his cheeks from the pain. He brushed them away and walked as normally as he could towards the library and past the unsuspecting servants. Once he was in the library, he found his way to his favorite chair and sat down, biting his tongue till he tasted blood. He grits his teeth and grips a book beside him and feels the spine crack under the pressure of his grip. Five minutes later, he can no longer stand the pain. He stands up, hell bent on making his way to his favorite Healer. His last thought before his world went black was if he was going to die.

Thor was out on the battlefield, with Lady Sif watching him closely, a puzzled look on her face. She watched as Thor threw his hammer and missed every single target. When Thor let out a roar of frustration, Sif watched as dark clouds began to roll in and rushed to Thor's side. "Thor, what is wrong? I've never seen you like this." She asked softly, to stop the impending storm. Thor bit his lip hard and forced himself to remain calm. "I am worried for-"

Thor was cut off by the sight of a stable boy running toward them. The boy ran to Thor's side and bowed quickly before adding in an out of breath voice and panting. "Price Thor, your brother, he is with the Healers now. He is... he is dying. Your Mother wishes for you to-"

The stable boy was cut off by Thor quickly turning on his heel and running as if for his life to the Infirmary with Lady Sif hot on his tail. Thor tore through the field and burst through the doors of the castle and didn't stop running until he reached the doors of the Infirmary. Upon entering, he found his brother gently restrained to the bed and unconscious. Thor walked up to the nearest Healer and took her by the shoulder. "What has happened to him?" Thor asked, trying not to show the feeling in his voice. The healer looked at Loki with a cold glint in her eyes, then at Thor with a fake caring and sadness. The fake look had not gone unseen by Thor and he glared at her angrily. "Do not pretend that you care. Just tell me what in the AllFathers name is wrong with my little brother."

At the sound of the demand, another nurse came bustling over and set her hand on Thor's shoulder. "Calm yourself, my Prince. Loki would feel your anger, even in this state."

Thor sighed and looked at the woman who had just spoken. She stared at him with bright baby blue eyes, her jet black hair hung in curls down to her shoulders and he couldn't help but take a deep, slightly relaxing sigh. "What is wrong with him, Eir?" Thor asked, now not afraid to show the sadness in his voice.

Eir sighed sadly and stared over at Loki. "My Prince, I am saddened to tell you that your brother, Prince Loki, is dying from the inside out. His magic is a part of his soul and since he's not using his magic, his soul is breaking apart. He will be dead within a fortnight at this rate."

Thor gasped and walked over to his brother then took his hand. Under the other man's skin, Thor could feel the magic pulsing almost completely in time with his heartbeat. Thor shivered at the feeling and looked back at Eir. "What can be done to fix this? Tell me so that he may heal properly."

Eir looked down and sighed sadly. "Prince Thor, your brother can only come out of his coma when his magic has somewhere to go other than remain stuck inside his soul."

A look of confusion crossed Thor's face. "What do you mean? Can he not just wave his hands or something, like he used to?"

Eir smiled at him, knowingly. "Prince Thor, have you forgotten that your brothers hands are still broken almost beyond repair? He cannot move his hands nor can he speak. His magic has nowhere to go."

Thor growled and glared at the woman. "Then unbind his stitching. Let him speak so that he may live and be by my side once more."

Eir crossed her arms and glared back at the man in a kind of motherly, reprimanding way. "Thor, you know it is forbidden. I would be going against the Allfather. The punishment would be my death. Do you want that? Truly, would you like my death on your shoulders, my Prince?"

Thor squeezed his hand tight and looked at the woman. "No, Eir, I am sorry for my reaction. I shall return soon with Odin, he will not go against my wishes. Loki will be fine." Thor said the last sentence with so much confidence that Eir couldn't help but smile and wish him good luck as he strode out the door, his cape swishing in time with his footsteps.

True to his word, Thor came back an hour later, his mother and father in tow. Odin's mother was the first to speak. "Eir, is it true what my son says? Is Loki truly dying from his own magic?" Eir nodded. "Yes, my Queen. Loki's magic will not die until Loki himself dies. His magic is in his soul. King Odin took away his ability to do magic; now his magic has nowhere to go. His magic will kill him unless he gets a proper outlet and soon."

The queen looked at her husband with rage in her eyes. "You are killing our son! Unbind his lips and let the Healers fix his hands or so help me, I will put you into your Odinsleep myself! Do you understand? He has suffered long enough for his foolishness!"

Odin and Thor looked at her in shocked amazement. Thor couldn't help but smile at the sight of his Father getting reprimanded and Odin could do nothing, but listen to his wife. With a sigh he nodded his head and looked at Thor. "Since you were the one to bind him my son, you may release him of his bonds."

Thor didn't waste a second, within moments he was handed a special knife from one of the healers and they left Thor to it. Once he was alone, Thor kissed Loki softly and whispered, "You will be free soon, my love. I promise this will not hurt a bit."

Slowly, meticulously, Thor stripped Loki of his stitches and gently pulled them out, leaving small open wounds from where the needle had pierced the skin the day of the binding. The second it was done, Loki's eyes opened and he breathed in deep. Thor recoiled slightly in shock and laughed softly at himself for a second at being scared in that way. Loki panted softly and moaned under his breath as light blue strips of shimmering magic wound around Loki's mouth and hands. Thor watched in amazement as, almost instantly, the wounds on Loki's mouth closed and healed, leaving no trace of the punishment. The magic around his hands, stayed however.

Thor waited until Loki calmed down and his panting subsided before stepping back over to his brother. "Loki, I was so worried." Thor said as he pulled Loki into his arms. Loki wrapped his arms around Thor's shoulders and shivered. Thor pulled back after a few minutes and smiled. "Well say something, Loki. I wish to hear your voice say my name once more."

Loki smiled and began to speak, but all that came out of Loki's mouth was silence. Loki was taken aback and immediately put his fingers to his throat and tried to speak again. When nothing came out again, the look of happiness upon seeing his brother was replaced by a look of the utmost sadness. Thor saw the look and felt his heart drop yet again. "Loki, what is it?"

Thor watched as Loki began to tear up and held Loki to him again. "Stay here Loki. I will go get the Healers. Do not move." Loki nodded in response and watched as Thor ran out of the doors calling for the Healers and his mother and father. They all came barreling into the room with worried looks. "What is wrong, Loki? Thor says you cannot speak. Is this true?" the queen asked sadly.

Loki looked from his mother to Thor and gazed at the healers before a flash of yellow light appeared just above Loki's head. The guests in the room gasped softly as Loki's thoughts formed written words and wrote themselves out in a script font. _"Why is it that I cannot speak?"_

Eir ran a few diagnostic tests as quickly as she could and found nothing to explain why the young prince had come down with such an odd affliction. Puzzled she looked to Loki. "Could your magic have something to do with this? The fact that you haven't spoken in such a long time that your magic has taken to speaking for you as you're doing now?"

Loki stared down at his hands and looked at the magic surrounding them. He sighed audibly and looked up at Thor. "_Yes. It could be. I wonder if I am doomed to be this way forever." _The family and the healers remained silent, uncertain of how to respond.

*Authors Note* I'm sorry for the short chapter. I'm very sleepy. I will update soon. I promise.


	3. Dreamers

*Authors Note: Thank you for the reviews everyone. That wasn't so hard, was it? Also, I couldn't handle the previous chapter being so short so I deleted it, then added to it. If you have already read the beginning, do not give me grief. Just skip over it. *

Thor sat at Loki bedside later that night and watched the rise and fall of Loki's chest as he slept. Thor sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, feeling defeated. All day long, he and Loki had tried every way that they could think of, including both Asgardian and Midgardian remedies, to try and get Loki's voice back. Nothing had worked and now they were both headed for a deep depression. Thor sighed again and heard a low rumble of thunder and the soft patter of rain outside. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

Just as he was about to drift off, he heard Loki's chamber door swing open behind him. Thor leaned his head back further and watched, upside down, as his mother came into the room, a sad smile on her face. "I heard the thunder my son. What has happened to our Trickster?"

Thor sighed sadly and another rumble of thunder, louder this time, rolled across the sky outside the castle. "Not a thing is different about him Mother and that is the problem. He can still only speak with his thoughts and he is becoming just as saddened about it as I am."

Frigga gave her sons a look of pity and sadness. She reached over and gripped Thor's shoulder tight and stared at Loki. "He will be alright. His magic will heal him; we just have to give it time. For now, try and get some rest. I expect to see you wide awake and happy by lunch time tomorrow." She said, her voice filled with both sadness and royal authority. Thor simply nodded, while his mother let go of his shoulder and went back to watching Loki as he slept and listened as his mother walked slowly out of the room.

Thor waited another few minutes and just as he was about to get up and retire to his own chamber, something flashed in front of his eyes. It was a picture that appeared above Loki's head just as the words did when they were having a conversation. He watched in awe as the pictures grew more and more clear and found himself watching a movie of sorts of a few memories of he and Loki when they were young boys.

Thor blinked a few times, making sure that what he was seeing was truly real. It took him a few seconds to realize that what he was seeing was Loki's dream. After acknowledging that fact, Thor watched himself as a young boy, pull pranks and do things that he had never gotten punished for as a child. Thor smiled at his brother's dream and was happy to see his brother thinking of happier days. All of a sudden, Loki's dream changed.

Thor now saw Loki as a child, looking up at Odin. Odin was screaming at Loki and pointing to something. Thankfully, Loki looked to where Odin was pointing and saw that a statue had been broken. Thor thought back to that day and realized that even though he had done accidentally broken it, he had never gotten in trouble for it. Thor watched the dream and saw Loki being thrown into a barely lit room and a door being slammed behind him. Loki kicked at the door and cried and screamed to get out, but no one came. Only then did Thor realize just why Loki hated Odin so much. "Every time I ever did something wrong" Thor thought to himself, "Loki was the one who took the blame." Thor sighed sadly and grabbed Loki's hand gently. "Loki, why did you never tell me? I would've told Father that it was me. Loki, I'm so sorry." he said aloud.

Thor watched as the dream slowly faded. He stayed in the room, until he was sure that Loki was sleeping peacefully before finally going to his own chambers. Once in the room, Thor stripped down and crawled into bed, feeling horribly guilty. He had done things as a child he should have been horribly punished for. Hundreds of horrible things, but he had never gotten in trouble. "Because Loki took the blame and it's entirely your fault." Thor's conscious said quietly. Thor felt tears coming to his eyes as the mental images of Loki trapped in that room, appeared in his mind. Thor grabbed a pillow and held it tight before letting a few tears fall onto it. Thor vowed that the next day, he would bring up the dream to Loki and confront him on why he never said anything and slipped slowly into a fitful sleep.

Thor sat on the edge of his bed and stared out of his chamber window, watching the sun creep over the horizon, signaling the start of a new day. Usually, Thor was a bright eyed and bushy tailed at this time, but after seeing Loki's nightmare, Thor barely got any sleep at all. He sighed and pushed himself off his bed, steadying himself as a wave of dizziness and exhaustion hit him full force. He groaned softly under his breath and slowly dressed himself for the day, trying his hardest to remain upright. Once he was done, he made his way down to the Infirmary and was relieved to find Loki awake, alert and alone. Still dizzy and slightly nauseous, Thor made his way across the room and greeted his brother in an unusually soft voice. "Good morrow, Loki. I trust you slept well?"

Loki smiled at Thor and nodded. "I believe so. I feel well rested. You on the other hand, do not look like yourself and you are being unusually quiet. Are you alright?"

Thor pulled a seat over and sat as close to Loki as he could. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before answering and he was thankful that Loki did not push the subject and was waiting patiently. Thor decided that it would be pointless to beat around the bush, so he just came out with it. "Loki, I saw your dreams last night. Why did you never tell me that Father used to punish you for my mistakes?"

Thor watched as the look on Loki's face changed instantly from pure happiness to what could only described as absolute grief. "I am sorry that you had to see that. I don't know how it happened. I guess my being mute is having odd side effects. Could you ask a servant to bring me a quill and parchment please? I would like to record the incident for my studies."

Thor glared at Loki for a moment. "I will. Right after you stop changing the subject and tell me why, Loki."

Loki tilted his head and looked up at Thor with feigned innocence and a confused look on his features. Thor saw right through it and felt his anger build up under his skin.

"Do not play dumb with me, Loki! I can see right through that mask you put up! Why did you never tell me? I could have stopped him! I could've saved you from that... that...blasted room that you were locked in! I could have saved you..."

Thor whispered the last part, but stopped as he felt his voice break and tears rolling down his cheeks from the images that had appeared in his mind as he yelled at Loki. Loki stared wide eyed at Thor, then took one of Thor's hands in his own and laced their fingers with Loki wincing slightly form the pain it caused him. Thor felt Loki's magic pulsing under his skin and oddly enough, the feeling calmed him.

Thor glanced up and found Loki smiling at him in a way he had never seen before. Thor felt his heart leap at the sight and couldn't help but smile back, despite the guilty feeling that still plagued his heart. Loki reached up with his other hand and gently wiped Thor's tears away. "You are right. You could have saved me, but I was too caught up in the moment to realize it. I should have listened to you and I know that now. If you ever see my nightmares again, you can still save me, oh mighty Thor."

Thor chuckled at that and smirked. "And how would I go about doing that, my dear Trickster?"

Loki laughed silently and Thor was glad to see that the smile actually reached Loki's eyes. "You can wake me up!" Loki's thoughts spelled out.

Thor read the words in the happiest memory that he had of Loki's voice and smiled at the man before him. "I will most certainly do that. Now, it may still be early, but I am sure a few of the servants have awoken. Are you hungry?"

Loki nodded and Thor got up slowly, still feeling dizzy. He kept a smile on his face to keep Loki from asking questions and kept his voice steady, though his head was pounding like he was being hit with Mjolnir over and over again. "I shall be back soon with our breakfast. Be good, Fox." Thor said playfully, knowing that Loki would like being called by his childhood nickname. He winked at a now slightly blushing Loki before making his way out of the room.

Thor waited until he got down to the kitchens before holding up his hand to his head. He was burning hot to the touch and he had begun to sweat. He could only imagine what he looked like at that moment. The slightly amusing thought did nothing to comfort him or ease the pain. Thor momentarily leaned against a cold wall and sighed in slight relief as a shiver slid down his spine.

Suddenly, Thor felt a hand on his shoulder and moved his head to see who it was. The slight movement sent Thor's stomach reeling and he felt as if he were about to vomit. He groaned under his breath and lifted his eyes to meet a familiar sight; his mother's soft smile.

"Back to the Infirmary with you. I shall bring you both something to eat myself." Frigga said with concern lacing her voice. Thor felt too sick to argue so he merely nodded and walked back to the Infirmary. Upon entering, Thor found Loki smirking. "I knew you would be back. I could feel your fever the second you walked in this morning. Did Mother find you?"

Thor just nodded and got into the bed next to Loki's. He groaned under his breath as he lay back gently and closed his eyes. Even through the blood pumping in his ears, he could hear Loki scratching away in his journal, his magic making the quill move as fast as Loki could think. Thor smiled slightly, but the slight happiness was short lived as another round of nausea hit him with all of its might. Thor immediately knew something was wrong. He rolled over as quickly as he could and vomited profusely, trying to ignore the taste of bile and...copper?

Thor reluctantly opened his eyes found himself staring at a pool of blood. He gasped and looked up at Loki who was wide eyed and frozen with fear. "Loki" Thor breathed out in sheer pain. "What is wrong with me?"

Loki shook his head and stared at Thor in fear. "I don't know." Thor closed his eyes and lay back down, not bothering to wipe his mouth of the blood. No sooner had he done that, a servant, Frigga and Eir came into the room. The servant was the first to see Thor and gasped, almost dropping the tray. Frigga came next and cried out and Eir, the calmest of them all, rushed to Thor's side while stopping momentarily to glance at Loki.

"Loki, what happened?" Eir and Frigga asked at the same time while the servant quickly put the tray down and hustled out of the room, trying his best to get out of the way.

Loki shook his head and shivered as Thor began to cough up more blood. "I don't know. He had dizziness and a fever this morning. I felt that, he didn't tell me, but I didn't feel anything remotely close to this!"

Thor began to break out in a cold sweat and shivers and Loki looked on feeling helpless as Eir and Frigga did their best to help Thor in any way that they could. After three hours of nonstop work, Thor was resting peacefully and Frigga, Eir and Loki were sipping on hot tea, trying to calm their frayed nerves.


	4. A New Day

**Authors Note**: This is your one and only warning. I am sleepy; I may get mixed up while typing this, because I'm working on four stories at once. Bear with me. If you find anything wrong, point it out and I'll fix it. Thank you and enjoy the story.

Thor awoke feeling well rested and yet, horribly confused. He slowly sat up and looked around the Infirmary, while the memories of the previous day flooded back into his mind. He looked out the window and found that the sun had only just risen over the mountains in the distance, meaning that it was uncharacteristically early for him to be awake. He counted the hours that he had been asleep in his head, and then shrugged to himself, just before his stomach grumbled and sent up a small pang of hunger. Thor sighed softly, then thought on the subject and realized just how hungry he was. As he pushed the silk sheets and fur blanket that was covering him away and swung his legs over the side of the bed, he heard a soft snoring and looked over at the bed beside him quickly, making his neck snap in protest. The sight of Loki put a smile on Thor's face. Loki was curled up in a ball on his left side, facing Thor. He had a book propped open against his thigh and another one open under his head, his jet black hair was sticking out in various different directions and he had a short dribble of drool slowly making its way down the side of his mouth. Thor sent a wish to Valhalla that he had a Midgardian camera, so that Thor could use the picture for what Loki referred his pranks to "a bit of fun". Thor grinned and slowly pushed himself up off the bed, trying to be as quiet as his burly body would let him.

As he stood up, he heard his back crack loudly, all of the way up his spine. Thor shivered at the sound, but recovered quickly. He slowly made his way out of the room and, after a much needed trip to the bathroom, made his way down to the kitchens to try and fix the infernal growling and pains in his stomach. Upon reaching the kitchen, he found it still empty, but with food sitting out on the counters, which was no doubt, breakfast for the king and queen. Happiness surged through his brain as he thought of bringing Loki breakfast in bed. Practically running through the large kitchen now, he grabbed a large bowl off of the far counter then jogged around the kitchen, grabbing rolls of bread, various fruits and some of Loki's favorite custard filled pastries. When the bowl was almost overflowing, Thor grabbed two chalices and three jugs, one filled with juice, one with tea and one with water, not knowing which one Loki wished for more and slowly made his way back to the Infirmary to greet his brother with a smile and food. In the back of his mind, Thor found himself praying to the Gods that Loki woke in a good mood.

Loki woke with a soft sigh, even before opening his eyes, he knew something was amiss. The sound that he had fallen asleep to had stopped and the pillow he had his head on was unforgiving on his neck. Loki reached his hand up and ever so gently, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, careful to not move certain fingers for he knew that they were finally healing, all be it ever so slowly. Sitting up and opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was a soft light streaming in through the window in front of his bed, he couldn't help but smile at the early morning sunrise. He closed his eyes again and stretched his arms above his head, cracked his neck and sighed again in relaxation. When he opened his eyes again, he took another look at the sun rising outside, then swung his legs over the bed to try and get up. The sight that met his eyes, made them go wide in slight panic. He realized, that the sound that had stopped and woke him up, had been the sound of Thor's snoring. Seeing the bed empty, Loki's imagination plagued him with the worst thoughts of where Thor had gone. Loki all but launched himself out of the bed, slowly pulled on a shirt and was just about to go running out to the hall, when he heard the knob click on the door. Loki turned his head to the sound and waited, putting on a mask of indifference as fast as he could, trying his hardest not to show any emotion in either his facial features or body language. When he saw that it was Thor, Loki felt himself visibly relax and he hoped and prayed that Thor hadn't noticed, or even if he had, he wouldn't question him about it. To try and ease the tension he still felt, Loki locked eyes with Thor and smiled, making Thor beam at him. Loki felt his heart stop for a moment, but he snapped out of it when Thor began to speak. "Loki! I have not seen a smile like that in years! You must have slept well!"

Loki grinned then had to keep his jaw from dropping when he saw the amount of food that Thor was carrying and figured that Thor had been down in the kitchens. It was of no surprise to Loki that Thor had woken up hungry, even Loki himself was feeling slight pains of hunger begin in his stomach when he saw and smelled the food. He hurried over to help Thor carry the food and drinks to their respective bed trays and smiled, feeling oddly grateful. Thor busied himself with making their plates, trying not to notice the warm, fuzzy feeling that he had felt after coming through the door and seeing a smile of sheer sleepy happiness on Loki's face. Just the thought of that look made Thor's heart clench and he had blink back tears of joy yet again. He thought that he would never live to see the day when Loki looked so at peace with himself and with the world. When that smile was directed at him, Thor felt nothing but love for his adopted brother. Thor sighed under his breath, feeling at peace and turned back toward Loki, plate in hand. Just as Thor was about to ask Loki what he would like to drink, he had to catch himself and swallow the gasp in his throat. Loki was staring at his hands as if fascinated; Thor immediately knew why Loki looked like he did. The usual blue colored wisps of magic that formed around his hands, was now a bright emerald green, the same color of Loki's cloak that always hung around his armor for good luck while practicing new spells. As shocked as Thor was, he tried to snap Loki out of it by holding the plate of food under his nose. "Loki, your food is going to get cold."

"That seemed to do the trick." Thor thought to himself as Loki looked up at him and smiled again. Thor let out a silent sigh of relief and smiled back at Loki before going back to the food and making himself a plate. When he was done, Thor turned to find half of Loki's food gone and slowly disappearing as the seconds ticked by. Thor was both shocked and amused at the spectacle. Loki usually ate very slowly, meticulously even and with precision. The way Loki was eating now, Thor could only compare it to the way he himself ate after he had been away from home far too long and in too many battles. Thor grinned and sat down, then began to eat his own meal without bringing up the heinous way Loki was eating. Loki was in a good mood and Thor refused to do or say anything to upset him today. They both ate in an amiable silence and when Loki filled his plate with a second helping of everything that Thor had put on his plate in the first place, Thor was shocked. He didn't think that Loki had ever eaten so much before in his life! Again, Thor forced himself to not say anything about his brothers eating habits this morning and was content with just spending this somewhat quality time with Loki. Suddenly, a thought crossed Thor's mind and he frowned. Thor only remembered bits and pieced from the night before and he wondered if Loki would tell him what had happened to him. Before he could ask however, he saw Loki looking at him and watched as words appeared above Loki's head. _"Are you alright, Thor? You seem puzzled over something and yet, I cannot figure out what that something might be." _Thor smiled at Loki and shook his head as if to say that it was nothing, but Loki saw right through him and pinned Thor with a look and Thor couldn't help but laugh. "Even in silence, Loki, you mock me. Alright, I shall tell you what I was thinking. What happened to me yesterday? I remember feeling very sick and trying to make it to the kitchens, but then all I can remember is darkness. After that, I find myself waking in the Infirmary in a bed next to yours. What happened to me?

Loki sighed and smiled. _"You spent too much time on Earth, Thor. You contracted a sickness of theirs called Bronchitis. You vomited blood and scared both Frigga and I to death! Thankfully, you are a God and were able to get well overnight. Mortals have to suffer far longer and with even worse symptoms. If you are wondering how I figured it out, I had Lady Sif go down to a Midgardian library and find me a book on the symptoms you exhibited. You owe her your thanks."_

Thor was surprised, but hid it behind a smile as well as he could and gave Loki a curt nod. "I shall find her later and do just that. Thank you, Loki." Loki nodded and smiled again, before clearing his plate and downing a large chalice full of juice. Thor smirked at that and shook his head in amusement. Loki playfully raised a brow at him and grinned back. Thor was just about to broach the subject of Loki's magic changing colors when a very faint, familiar knock sounded on the Infirmary door. Thor and Loki both knew that knock very well and smiled at each other before Thor called out a soft, "Enter."

Frigga poked her head in and found both of her boys smiling at her, as if they were young children again. She felt her heart swell at the sight and had to blink back tears of happiness as she looked into Loki's eyes and saw nothing but peace and happiness behind them. She smiled brightly and made her way into the room and shut the door with a soft thud behind her. She went to Loki first and pulled him into a tight, yet gentle hug. She felt Loki nuzzle into her neck and she held him tighter, for she knew if she let go now, she would see tears in his eyes and would not be able to hold back her own. Once she was sure that he was alight again, she pulled back slowly and went to Thor. Thor expected her to hug him like that too, but instead she lifted up her hand and felt both of his cheeks, his forehead and the back of his neck. She shook her head at him, but smiled. "I am very happy that you are awake. You look much better, Thor, but I would like you to stay in and rest alongside Loki today. I still feel a slight fever under your skin and I would feel much better if you stayed here, in case your sickness flares up again. Do you understand?"

Thor looked slightly dejected, but nodded, not wanting to upset his mother than he already had. When he smiled at her, she then pulled him into a hug as she had with Loki, though his wasn't as long. When she pulled away she smiled and looked around the room, it was then and only then that she saw the dishes from their breakfast strewn about. "Where in the world did this come from?" she asked looking from Thor to Loki. Thor grinned and blushed slightly then answered before Loki could get a thought out. "I went down to the kitchens just after sunrise and brought Loki breakfast in bed. Well, it would have been breakfast in bed, had he not been up and getting dressed by the time I had gotten back."

Frigga's eyes grew wide and she beamed at Thor. "What made you want to do that, my son?" she asked happily. Thor looked from Frigga to Loki and back to Frigga then smiled. "I was hungry when I awoke and I thought that Loki would be famished also when he awoke from his slumber, so I brought enough food for the both of us. It seems I was correct seeing as he ate twice as much as I did."

Frigga nodded in understanding and took a long look at Loki. He seemed very happy, even the darkness under his eyes had left his face. His skin was back to its normal color and he seemed, for lack of a better term, much healthier than he had looked in years. Along with the smile that he just couldn't seem to keep off of his face, for the first time in years, Frigga felt that Loki would be just fine. Everything about him had changed for the better including… Frigga looked down at Loki's hands and let out a small gasp. "Loki! Your magic! It has changed its color!"

Loki looked down at his hands, then up at Frigga and beamed before sending his thoughts above his head for her to read. _"Yes, it has. I sincerely believe that I am not the Trickster that I once was. Now, I believe, that I am completely Asgardian. I tested it last night after you and the servants had left the room and I know that my Frost Giant half has left me for good. To prove my theory, I went back to my room and found a few of my books that Odin didn't destroy… It told me everything that I needed to know. You, nor anyone on this planet, need fear me again, for I am now, finally and completely, one of you."_

For a few moments, Frigga didn't say a word, then she let out a quiet sob, grinned through her tears and pulled Loki to her. Thor, having seen the entire conversation, rushed to Loki's side and pulled both Loki and his Mother into a very tight embrace, which they gladly returned. One thing weighed heavily on Thor's mind though, as they pulled out of the embrace and Thor thought that now would be a good a time as any to bring it up. "Loki, if you are no longer of Frost Giant blood and your magic has changed, can you speak yet?"

Loki looked at his brother with curious eyes and tilted his head before smiling and shaking his head. _"Oh, what a fool I am! I haven't even tried! Hold on."_

Loki looked right at Frigga, smiled and ever so quietly in a very hoarse voice, whispered, _"Hello, Mother."_

As Loki's eyes lit up, Thor embraced Loki again, yelling out in joy and kissed Loki on the forehead in his excitement and Frigga, damning the consequences of being seen, cried openly at Loki's choice of words. At that moment they knew, that everything would be okay from now on.


End file.
